


Till The End of the Line

by i_write_a_lot



Category: Captain America, The Avengers
Genre: Coffee, Depression, Gen, Hospitals, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Kindness, Mentions of PTSD, Old Age, Other - Freeform, Politics, Veterans, Visiting, alzheimer's, hospital staff people are awesome, mentions of amnesia, mentions of dementia, old soldiers, tv commercials - Freeform, war veterans are awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 04:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1885179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_write_a_lot/pseuds/i_write_a_lot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steve happens to catch a commercial on Tony’s tv when hanging with the avengers, he decides to head to the local hospital to visit some of the war veterans, despite having never met them. It winds up being a more interesting visit than they could have planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Till The End of the Line

**Author's Note:**

> -I do not own Captain America or The Avengers.
> 
> -Written just before the Forth of July, in tribute to all soldiers who've fought in many different wars. Happy fourth, everyone. 
> 
> -Kudos and Comments much appreciated. Thank you for reading.

When Steve caught the commercial about supporting local veterans, he was taken by surprise and frowned. The avengers were oblivious, until he asked aloud, 

“What do they mean about donating money for veterans? How does that work?” He asked, confused. 

For a moment the rest of them fell silent, and Tony said,

“I got this guys, you go watch your stuff. Cap, come with me.” 

Steve got up from his chair, grabbing his cup of coffee to take with him, and followed Tony down towards the computer room that he’d created. It was basically a variation of different computer models for Steve to catch up on and get familiar with, and Steve couldn’t tell Tony how grateful he was for helping him getting caught up with modern technology. 

“Okay, there’s a lot of shit that comes with this territory, though I’m surprised it hasn’t come up before now. Fair warning, it comes with a hell of a lot of politics too, and I know how much you hate politics,” Tony warned seriously, and Steve knew that this was going to be more of that stuff he wasn’t sure he’d like. 

“Alright,” He said cautiously, but before he could go on, Darcy poked her head in. 

“Giving Cap the War Veterans details? Want me to help?” Darcy asked, and Tony looked relieved. 

“Yeah, please.” Tony said, surprising Steve. Tony rarely said ‘please’ to anyone, mostly because he had everything he needed Steve suspected, so for him to use the word…

It must be pretty intense, what they were going to discuss. 

Darcy slipped in, shutting the door behind her. She glanced around the room with interest, and Steve wondered if she’d been in here before and calculated that-probably not-based on her expression and interest alone. 

“Jarvis, can you tell Jane I’m with Tony and Steve so that she doesn’t worry, when they finish watching whatever?” Darcy asked politely. 

“Of course, Ms. Lewis,” Jarvis said promptly, and Darcy grinned. 

“Thanks, Skynet,” She said, teasingly using the nickname that Clint Barton used from time to time. Steve was beginning to think that they weren’t going to get to talk about the war veterans when Tony finally cut across, sounding serious just as he had before. 

“Okay, Cap. You know after you left, they still had more soldiers for other wars. World War 1 and 2 was had, as was the Cold War, and Veitnam and a bunch of others. We’ll let you research those once this talk is done, because those are most of the war veterans that are left-old, old men…about the age that you should be, if you hadn’t been frozen in the ice, in fact. Some of them, older.” Tony began, and Steve nodded. 

“Clint’s talked to me about some of the wars, when I came across a few support banners,” Steve admitted, frowning. “But why do war veterans need money donations?”

“For hospital bills,” Darcy said at once, when Tony frowned. “Because hospitals are expensive, and they charge more and more as the technology gets better and better. For a single man to replace a leg, it can be well over fifty thousand dollars, easy.” 

Steve gaped at her. 

“But…that’s a lot of money!” He protested, aghast. 

“Exactly,” Darcy said, and for Steve it clicked-money donations for war veterans to pay for those legs that they needed, or arms or any health issues such as dementia or PTSD,  
or anything like that. Hospitals hadn’t gotten better when he’d been on the ice, it had gotten far far worse. 

“Yeah, they have,” Tony agreed, and he frowned wondering if he’d said that aloud. “They’ve gotten bad enough that I’ve been buying a couple here and there, just to help out. I get them some money, and try to help the sickest of the patients, but sometimes…”

“Sometimes no matter how hard you try, it doesn’t help,” Darcy said softly, and Tony looked like he agreed, his gaze serious and somber. 

Steve stared and then said suddenly, 

“Jarvis!” 

“Captain?” Jarvis sounded taken aback, and Steve went on. 

“Jarvis, where’s the closet hospital?” 

“A few blocks from here, just in case any of you are injured. Mr. Stark generally brings in the best doctors from the hospital, of course.” Jarvis answered. 

“Are there war veterans there?” Steve asked, serious. Darcy and Tony were watching him with frowns on his face, and Jarvis answered promptly, 

“Of course, sir. At last count, there were at least less than fifty war veterans who have served in various wars for the country in the hospital. Over half of them live there, as there is no place else for them to go, though Sir has attempted to make their lives better,” 

“We’re going to go and visit them. Today. Now,” Steve said insistently, and Tony blinked. 

“Er…alright, but it might take time-”

“NOW,” Steve said, louder, and then flushed. “I just…I want them to know that their efforst aren’t in vain. And…can I have some of my backpack towards that donation?” Steve asked, and Tony grinned. 

“Your backpay and my money can help them out as much as possible,” Tony said, firmly. “Now, let’s head on out.”

Steve followed Tony and Darcy out of the computer lab, and they headed down towards the garage, Tony telling Jarvis to let the others know where they were off to just in case. Darcy looked round-eyed as Tony told them to get into one of his really shiny black cars, and Steve-uncomfortable with the situation-got in. He preferred his motorcycle, but he knew that Tony owning the hospital, he should make it easier for him by agreeing with whatever he needed to get done. 

It took maybe fifteen minutes to get there, even with the traffic. Once at the hospital, Steve was beginning to regret it, as he was getting a lot of staring. So was Tony for that matter, though Darcy was getting barely anything, probably because of him and Tony there. 

The three walked into the hospital, and the girl at the front desk barely looked up from doing her paperwork. 

“Names and who are you visiting at this hour?” She asked. 

“Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Darcy Lewis to visit the war veterans lounge,” Tony said, firmly. 

The girl, of whom Steve was beginning to like, looked up with unimpressed eyes and said, 

“Fifth floor, down the hall, can’t miss it. If you want a nurse or doctor there, I can have one paged to meet you. Please be careful of the fifth floor, it was just recently moped so it might be a bit slick. Miss, if you want to swap out those high heels for steadier shoes, I have a pair for just the situation,” She informed her. 

“Miss, you are awesome,” Tony said, grinning. “Consider your pay raised five times higher than it was, and whatever hours you want, along with a personal Stark Phone,”

“Whatever you say, sir,” The girl said, shrugging. “I’ve got this paperwork to finish. If that will be all? Miss, here are those shoes,” The girl said, and plunked them down onto the counter. 

“Thanks,” Darcy said, and quickly swapped out shoes. The girl accepted the high heels, and tucked them away back behind the counter, and the three went to the elevator. 

They road the elevator for a few minutes, and then it dinged and opened the doors, revealing a rather homey looking floor with bright yellow wallpaper.

“Yellow, to make it seem more cheery,” Darcy mused thoughtfully. 

“Just what I was thinking,” Tony agreed, and they went down the floor. A doctor met up with them almost instantly. 

“Hello, I’m Dr. Hadrian Jones. Can I help you with meeting anyone in particular, or are you here simply to observe?” The Doctor asked, while he was holding his clipboard, and looking anxious. 

“Just to observe,” Steve reassured him before Tony could say anything. “Also, there are war veterans on this floor, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Dr. Jones said firmly, and beckoned. “Right this way, please.”

They followed the doctor, and found themselves amongst a bunch of old men, and a tiny few old women in the ward. Most were ambling about towards various areas-there was a table where a bunch of the old men were playing a deck of cards, another area where the old war veterans were painting, and even a piano in the corner. 

Steve actually rather liked the set up. 

Some paused upon seeing the three visitors, and glanced away when they didn’t move forward. But one old man, who looked to be in his early nineties at the least, came forward,. 

“Captain?” He asked, sounding astonished. 

“Yes, that’s me,” Steve said, frowning. 

“But Captain, you were lost in the ocean. We couldn’t ever find you, despite Howard having us look for ages and ages,” He said, sounding upset. “We never found you.”

“Shield found me,” Steve said, a bit uneasily. He hadn’t expected to run into someone who might remember them, even if he didn’t. He wasn’t sure he was ready to handle such a situation. 

“Captain?” The old man asked, and a nurse approached them then. 

“Henry, it’s fine. The Captain’s alright, he was found, don’t worry.” She said soothingly, and turned to the visitors. “Henry has Alzheimer's. He can’t remember much these days, but he always seems to remember looking for an old war buddy.” She said, sadly. 

“Alzheimer's?” Steve asked, frowning. 

“It means that he can’t hardly remember anything,” The nurse explained, seeing his confusion. “He has trouble retaining what happens these days. Alzheimer's is a deadly desease, and so far there’s no cure. But we’re working on it. Still, he’s most clear when he’s remembering the old days. Sometimes he has nightmares though, screaming about someone called Hydra.” She said, shaking her head. 

Steve and Tony both froze, while Darcy frowned in confusion. 

“What all does he say?” Steve asked, and she blinked. 

“Mostly he screams _Die Hydra Die!_ -in German, of course, because we had to bring in a translator. Sometimes he screams about not finding his Captain friend, and other times he just screams. We ask him about the nightmares, sometimes, but he doesn’t seem to recall them the next day. The doctor thinks its part of the amnesia and ptsd that he has,”

“PTSD?” Steve asked, confused. 

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a common theme for most old men who’d fought in wars,” She said. “Also common in regular citizens, when they’d experienced something traumatic. Any kind of violence, or some hurtful memories can trigger nightmares, shaking hands, sometimes dizziness and nausea in rare cases when around the same place or the same scents. It’s varying for many different people, but it’s a serious disorder that we have been trying to treat as well.”

“Sounds familiar,” Steve muttered, and the nurse nodded. 

“You may know several people who have it, if they are war friends of yours. They might try to hide it, or might not realize that they have it at all.” She explained. “It’s a complicated disorder, but sometimes treatable through seeing a psychiatrist to talk about it,”

Steve nodded. 

“But he can’t talk about it, so he can’t treat it, because he doesn’t remember it,” Steve said, and she sighed.

“And you’ve hit ninety percent of the problem in a nutshell,” She agreed, and turned to Dr. Jones. “I think perhaps, Doctor, that Emily was looking for you-something about tea for her cold.”

He sighed.

“She’s always cold, even though her room is kept at eighty five,” He said, shaking his head. “Alright, I’ll go and tend to her, Kelly. Help these people out, if they need it?”

“Sure thing, boss.” The nurse-Kelly-said cheerfully. 

“What’s his name?” Steve asked, when the doctor had gone and he’d turned back to the old man called Henry. 

“Henry James Thompson Witherspoon,” Henry answered before the nurse could absently. “Shield agent level seven, member of the Commandoes unit with Bucky Barnes,” 

Steve paled, and Tony quickly pushed him into a chair. 

“I take it you knew him?” Nurse Kelly asked, shrewdly. 

“If I did, I don’t remember him,” Steve said hoarsely. “But I sure as hell remember Bucky.” 

“Captain?” Henry asked, and Steve was beginning to recognize the repeating pattern of what Henry was going through. “Captain, you were lost in the ocean-”

Steve quickly began moving away, not wanting to listen to it anymore. Tony hastily followed, while Darcy did damage control with the nurse. Steve leaned against the wall by the elevator, and slid down to the floor, his hands shaking. 

“For the record, I did say this was a bad idea,” Tony muttered, looking concerned as he sat next to him. “You okay, Steve?” 

For him to use his first name meant that Tony was really and truly worried about him. 

Steve took a shuddering breath, and said, 

“I should be like that old man in there, but I’m not.” 

Tony froze. 

“I should be dead, like some of the old warriors that I’d known. I should be still locked away in that damned ice prison, and I wouldn’t…”

“You wouldn’t have to face any of this, seeing your friends and comrades all grown old,” Tony said softly, understandingly. “You wouldn’t have to learn through an old, old man what happened when you disappeared. You wouldn’t have to face any of this.”

“But you do have to face it,” Darcy said, coming up to them when finishing with the nurse. “Steve, you have to face it because you’re the only one who knows about old men like Henry Witherspoon back there. You can help him, and you can help all these other old soldiers that fought in the wars and helped the country and defied Hydra,” She began, and Steve snapped at her. 

“I KNOW! I know I have to help! I know it! But...I hate that there’s not much I can do, except give them money,”

“You can do more than that,” Tony said, offended. “You’re the most famous person ever in existence. Even I knew about you, and I’m one of the top richest people in the world. You can make your voice heard, you can show yourself to other hospitals, you can do a hell of a lot more than just donate, but that’s just as good too because of how much money you and I have together,” 

“We can get all of the Avengers in on this, Steve,” Darcy said, hesitantly. “We can all help you to fight,”

“But you shouldn’t have to-this isn’t your fight,” Steve protested, and Darcy shook her head.

“We all get old eventually, Captain.” She said kindly. “We’re going to have to face amnesia, ptsd, demensia, and other diseases too that comes with aging. We’re fighting with you, and though you might not age like the rest of us, we’ll still support you…no matter what,” 

The speech reminded him faintly of Bucky, and that just stung all the harder.

But it also made him smile. 

Because it seemed that he’d always be there, fighting. Even with these old men at his side, he’d still have others to help him fight too. 

Until the end of the line.  
==

End

**Author's Note:**

> -I'm not at all familiar with the Commandoes, and Henry Witherspoon is a completely made up character, along with all the hospital staff too, though the hospital staff are made up from people that I've met in hospitals from time to time, in tribute to their kindness and awesome when helping me when I'm down. This fic was written just at July 4th, 2014. Thank you for reading, and any kudos and comments that you pass my way.
> 
> -Thanks to Zyrieen for pointing out that it wasn't Amnesia that Henry had, but Alzheimer's! Thanks a lot, Zyrieen! I appreciate it! :)


End file.
